1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to systems, methods, and products for image editing and, more particularly, to techniques for digital effects editing of high-resolution images.
2. Related Art
Directors and editors of motion picture films increasingly rely on image editing to produce a variety of effects to advance or enhance the story line. Some such effects do not involve complex manipulations; rather, they involve such procedures as enlarging, moving, or changing color or texture of selected portions of selected frames of a film. With respect to film, such relatively simple effects traditionally have been realized by optical effects editing; that is, by using a camera. That is, the desired effects are achieved by direct manipulation of film negatives, transparencies, and/or artistic renderings. In addition, other optical procedures typically are employed, such as the use of filters, changing magnification or focus, and so on. The objective of such procedures generally is to generate a new film negative having the desired effect.
Another system for effects editing does not employ an optical laboratory. Rather the director selects portions of the film to be scanned in order to produce a high-resolution digital image. Such digital image is then provided to a high-resolution compositor that translates such images into digital or analog video images, typically at substantially lower resolution than the original high-resolution digital image. A special effects artist, typically under the direction of the director and/or editor, renders the desired effects based on the video image. When the effect is completed to the director""s or editor""s satisfaction, the compositor applies the effect to the original high-resolution digital image. That is, a revised high-resolution digital image is generated that contains the original image as it has been altered by the desired special effect. This revised high-resolution digital image is then provided to a film recorder that converts it to a film image. Because of the flexibility provided by digital image manipulation, complex special effects typically may be realized. Such effects include, for example, altering an image by drawing, or imposing another image, on it. One illustration of such an effect is to change the color of a hat worn by a person in a film image. Another illustration is to change the shape or orientation of the hat. Another typical procedure is to overlay layers of images on one another. For example, one image may provide a background of the surface of the moon, another image may be of the Eiffel Tower, another image may be a character in the story line. When these images are digitally overlaid, with appropriate effects introduced so that only desired elements of each image are used, the resulting image may be of the character on top of the Eiffel Tower, on the moon.
In accordance with yet another known system, a film is provided to a telecine device; i.e., a device that converts high-resolution film images to digital or analog video images, typically at a substantially lower resolution. The director and editor view the video images to select the portions that they wish to subject to effects editing. The selected video images are then provided to a digital, non-linear, editor (DNLE). The DNLE is a device that enables a special effects artist to select any frame, or group of frames, not necessarily in temporal order (hence, xe2x80x9cnon-linearxe2x80x9d), for special effects editing. The DNLE, in response to the commands of the special effects artist, generates the desired special effects on the video images. The DNLE also generates a data record containing the identity of the particular video frames that were subject to such special effects editing. By correlating the video images with the corresponding film images from which they were produced (referred to herein as xe2x80x9csource framesxe2x80x9d), the data record generated by the DNLE thus enables identification of the source frames. Such data records therefore are referred to herein as xe2x80x9csource frame data.xe2x80x9d Further procedures in accordance with this known system typically are the same as those described above with respect to the functions of a scanner, high-resolution compositor, and film recorder. That is, the source frame data are provided to the scanner that generates high-resolution digital images of the frames of film specified in the data records. The high-resolution digital images are provided to the high-resolution compositor that displays video images to the director, editor, and/or special effects editor so that special effects may be generated. The high-resolution compositor, using position data and information regarding the rendering of the special effects based on the work of the special effects artist on the video images, generates new high-resolution digital images having the special effects. These new images are provided to the film recorder that converts them to film.
The present invention is a system, method and product for resolution-independent image translation. The present invention records and conveys, through the use of a resolution-independent coordinate system, a description of the shape, color, spline, and other distinguishing characteristics of effects rendered on a low-resolution image. Such a description is hereafter referred to as xe2x80x9cresolution-independent.xe2x80x9d The present invention also records and conveys a resolution-independent description of the location of such effects. The low-resolution images upon which the effects are imposed may be user-selected without converting high-resolution, non-digital, images into high-resolution, digital, images. Such resolution-independent information based on low-resolution images may be applied automatically, i.e., without human intervention, to reproduce the special effects on a corresponding high-resolution image. In a typical application, the user-selected, low-resolution, images upon which the effects are imposed are analog or digital video images. Also typically, the corresponding high-resolution images upon which the effects are automatically reproduced are film images.
In one embodiment, the invention is a resolution-independent image translator. Such translator operates upon low-resolution images that have been converted from high-resolution images. A user renders effects using the low-resolution images, and the resolution-independent image translator generates a record of such effects editing. In one implementation, the low-resolution, effects-edited, images are user-selected. In one implementation, the effects are special effects.
In one implementation, the record generated by the resolution-independent image translator includes resolution-independent positional information with respect to the effects. Such positional information is also referred to herein as resolution-independent data that describes the location of an effect. In one implementation, such record includes descriptive information with respect to the effects. Such descriptive information is also referred to herein as resolution-independent data that describes location-related distinguishing characteristics of the effects. In one aspect, such descriptive information, positional information, or both, is pixel-based. In a further implementation, such record includes source frame information.
In one embodiment, such record of effects editing is a data structure of metadata. In one implementation, the metadata includes resolution-independent positional information with respect to the effects, descriptive information with respect to the effects, and source frame information. In one aspect, such descriptive information, positional information, or both, is pixel-based.
In one implementation, the resolution of the metadata is user-selectable. In one aspect of such implementation, a graphical user interface enables such user-selection. In one aspect, such graphical user interface includes graphical elements for user selection of horizontal or vertical source scan size. In a further aspect, such graphical user interface includes graphical elements for user selection of horizontal or vertical source grid offset. In yet a further aspect, such graphical user interface includes graphical elements for user selection of grid type, such type including field chart grid and X-Y coordinate grid. In one implementation, such graphical element for user selection of grid type includes graphical elements for selection of one or more aspect ratios.
In one embodiment, the resolution-independent image translator provides the graphical user interface to the user together with the low-resolution image upon which the user renders the effects. In one implementation of such embodiment, the resolution-independent image translator also overlays a grid upon such low-resolution image. In one aspect of such implementation, such grid is provided at a user-selected resolution, and in a user-selected grid type.
In one embodiment, the resolution-independent image translator formats the metadata in a standard machine-to-machine format. In one implementation, such format is the OMF file format. In one implementation, such formatted metadata is encrypted. In one embodiment, the metadata is provided to a camera. In one embodiment, the metadata is provided to a high-resolution compositor.
In one embodiment, the low-resolution, effects-edited, images are analog or digital video images that have been converted from high-resolution film images. In one implementation of such embodiment, such conversion is provided by a telecine device. In one implementation, the low-resolution images have been effects-edited by the use of a digital non-linear editor.
In one embodiment, the resolution-independent positional, or effects description, information is in an X-Y coordinate system. In one implementation, the resolution-independent positional, or effects description is in a field-chart system. In one implementation, the resolution-independent positional, or effects description is in both an X-Y, pixel-based, coordinate system, and in a field-chart system.
In one embodiment, the invention is a resolution-independent image translation system. Such translation system (a) converts high-resolution images to corresponding low-resolution images; (b) enables user selection of high-resolution images based on the corresponding low-resolution images; (c) enables effects editing of the corresponding low-resolution images; (d) produces a record of such effects editing including resolution-independent positional and effects description information; and (e) provides such record to a high-resolution compositor or a camera.
In one embodiment, the invention is a method for resolution-independent image translation. Such method includes the steps of (a) converting high-resolution images to corresponding low-resolution images; (b) enabling user selection of high-resolution images based on the corresponding low-resolution images; (c) enabling effects editing of the corresponding low-resolution images; (d) producing a record of such effects editing including resolution-independent positional and effects description information; and (e) providing such record to a high-resolution compositor or a camera.